No age limit at Circa eatery
Commission unanimously OKS licensing of Stevens’ hotel
Everybody knows that Derek Stevens plans to open his Circa resort as a 21-and-older property.
What most people don’t know is that there will be one location in the downtown Las Vegas property, Barry’s Downtown Prime restaurant, where under-21s will be able to go.
Stevens told the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday that chef Barry Dakake had negotiated the exception in his lease with Circa, enabling him to bring younger guests to the restaurant.
Stevens explained that there will be four entry points to Circa: at Fremont and Main streets, at Fremont and First streets, off Ogden Avenue and through the climate-controlled elevated entry from the Garage Mahal. And he figures that identification checks at those locations will occupy 20 hours a day, at 10 seconds per ID check for an estimated 72,000 screenings daily.
People with reservations to Barry’s will need a Circa escort to get to the restaurant, the property’s only basement venue.
On Thursday, commissioners spent about an hour questioning Stevens and two of his top-level
executives before unanimously approving the licensing of Circa, the first from-the-ground-up casino built in downtown Las Vegas in 40 years.
Licensing approvals also will enable Circa Sports to open a satellite sportsbook at the Tuscany early next year.
The property, which embodies everything Stevens enjoys about Las Vegas, opens its doors to the public Oct. 28.
Stevens did not disclose financial
details of the property, labeling them confidential, but commissioners were satisfied that with the Golden Gate and the D Las Vegas as collateral, Circa could endure financial pressures, even during the pandemic.
Baseball fans will be able to learn more about Circa this week when the company launches its first national advertising campaign, during Major League Baseball wild-card games scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday.
Stevens told commissioners he planned to target opening 777 rooms, which he described as “a very Las Vegas number,” and he said he was grateful that the Gaming Control Board had given him permission for a split opening, with the casinos, pool and food amenities targeted for Oct. 28 and the hotel rooms in late December. Normally, resorts are required to open rooms and the casino at the same time.
The opening of Circa also will improve Southern Nevada’s employment picture, with 1,100 of 1,500 jobs already filled. More will open when the hotel rooms come online.